Heading north

"Say no more. He is a Purple Mansion cultivator, after all. Leave quickly."

Su Yao had been about to speak again when a familiar voice reached his mind through the Daoist art of private voice transmission.

He froze for a moment, then snorted coldly and paid the woodcutter no further attention. Forming a Method Formula, he transformed into a streak of golden light and sped away across the land.

In the courtyard, the woodcutter's face flickered in the glow of the setting sun. Then he revealed his true form: a middle-aged man who looked no more than thirty-odd years old, dressed in a mountain god's robes.

He looked in the direction Su Yao had gone, and with a flicker of his body, vanished into the Great Void.

The Great Void was shrouded in gray haze, without a trace of light.

Only the light radiating from the mountain god and the light of the Confucian master in ceremonial robes before him faced each other like two faint glimmers.

The two faced each other in silence for a long time.

At last, the mountain god spoke:

"This boy is not Guangli."

With that, he dissolved away without waiting for the master to answer.

The master watched the mountain god vanish, anger rising in his heart.

But he was alone and weak now, and feared that if he did anything out of line, he would bring Daozheng's retaliation down on himself. In the end, he could only give a soft sigh.

Looking at the golden light Su Yao had become in the mortal world, he reflected: As expected of an orthodox immortal lineage. This Golden Light Across the Land is of an exceptionally high grade. Even in the Foundation Establishment Realm, one can travel a hundred li in the time it takes to drink a cup of tea. Even if I entered the mortal world and flew, I would be only a little faster than this Technique.

What's more, this Technique can be used starting in the Qi Refining stage and remains useful even beyond the True Lord realm. Only its speed varies with cultivation, and I've heard that from the Purple Mansion realm onward, it has many other marvelous uses.

Watching the golden light, he traveled through the Great Void to the official road ahead of where Su Yao would land, a road Su Yao had to take to reach Qinghe Commandery City's seat. There, he took the form of an old man in hemp robes and sent word for a disciple to bring an ox cart, then quietly waited for Su Yao.

On Qixia Mountain, by the cypress tree on the back mountain.

Qingyang was sitting cross-legged beneath the tree with his eyes closed.

Only after Su Yao left the little courtyard did he slowly open his eyes and venture:

"I have already bestowed a blessing on the Daoist heir. I trust there was nothing amiss in how we handled matters this time."

The being did not respond to that, instead asking:

"Has everything been arranged?"

Qingyang raised his head, then nodded.

"You may leave. I will ponder this matter some more."

Hearing that, Qingyang straightened up, turned around, and left.

But after only a few steps, he looked back and asked:

"Daozheng, do you truly not care whether the Daoist heir lives or dies?"

"Hahaha." The being first burst out laughing, then said, "What if I do care? If I teach him by the hand today, what about tomorrow? I cannot teach him forever. There are many things he needs to experience and comprehend for himself."

The being paused.

"But I didn't expect him to do well this time."

Qingyang bleated twice, then left.

After he had taken a few more steps, Daozheng's voice came from behind him once again:

"My heart is greatly gladdened."

"As for that great matter, I can set my mind at ease as well."

A distinctly human look of disdain flashed in Qingyang's eyes.

He paid no further attention.

Behind him, the cypress branches swayed, and five-colored smoke drifted on the wind, as though someone were dancing and waving their arms for joy.

With Golden Light Across the Land, Su Yao landed on a mountaintop a hundred li away after the time it took to drink a cup of tea.

As soon as he landed, he took out a pill to restore his Law Power and swallowed it. Golden Light Across the Land was a fine Technique, but it consumed far too much Law Power. Moreover, his greatest weakness was that the Law Power in his Qi sea could only be considered high-grade, not top-tier.

His Foundation Establishment Dao body, which had long since become impervious to heat and cold, was now drenched in sweat.

He had stood his ground so confidently earlier because he had counted on the Daoist Overseer watching from the mountain.

But his opponent was a Purple Mansion True Person, after all, and had merged with the authority of a mountain god, placing him on par with a Purple Mansion Middle Stage cultivator.

Toward the end, the Daoist Overseer had already transmitted a message telling him to stop before going too far. These days, most mountain and earth gods under heaven had thrown in their lot with Great Qing. The mountain god of Qixia Mountain had only humbled himself so because the foundation of his power remained in Qixia Mountain's hands.

Those words had left it to the Daoist Overseer to observe his conduct afterward.

If Su Yao faced this man again, he would have to wait until he reached the Purple Mansion realm.

But how difficult was it to reach the Purple Mansion realm? He did not fear using his immortal foundation to condense a Divine Ability, nor was he afraid of the three calamities. But the Tribulation of Heaven and Earth Submergence and the Boundless Sea of Illusions were not trials one could pass merely by having "exceptional talent."

Yet if he had not acted as he did just now, his thoughts would not have flowed freely.

He could have avoided it and ignored the mountain god's clumsy little act, but he was unwilling to do so.

Even if it meant having one fewer Purple Mansion Middle Stage cultivator at his disposal in the future, he did not regret it.

If the mountain god would not give his allegiance, they could simply kill him and appoint another. Qixia Mountain had no shortage of Foundation Establishment Perfection exotic spirits and monsters; it would only take a little more time.

As for the evolution of Divine Abilities, he had ample confidence in his own talent.

After regulating his breathing for a while and recovering some of his Law Power, he looked at the official road not far below, crowded with travelers.

Another thought came to him:

Since the mountain god had come to sound him out, how could the Confucian faction, the governor of Qinghe Commandery, and the several nearby powers sit idly by?

At that thought, he made up his mind:

I'm afraid I can't go to Qinghe Commandery City now. I might as well change course and head straight for Yongzhou.

The journey would cover ten thousand li, giving him a chance to see whether there were any suitable exotic creatures or the like along the way, so he could fuse his third talisman.

He only hoped he could fuse a talisman that increased his Law Power and made up for his weakness.

When the two birds caught up, he gathered them into his arms.

Then he donned the Great Yin Dharma Robe once more and headed east. Yongzhou lay northeast of Qixia Temple, but he had just come from that direction, so he decided to make a detour due east. He would travel five hundred li east before turning toward Yongzhou, avoiding anyone who might come looking for trouble. His Great Yin Dharma Robe was a spirit treasure; with it concealing him, the Purple Mansion cultivators of the nearby powers should not be able to detect anything amiss.

After traveling east for roughly two hundred li, Su Yao found a cave to rest and meditate in, as it was already late.

He then released the two birds and told them to find food for themselves.

By the latter half of the night, Su Yao had finally recovered some of his Law Power.

Outside the cave, the cries of the Morning Rosy Cloud Duck and the Azure Empyrean Sparrow suddenly rang out.

Su Yao's heart stirred. Could something have happened?

He took out the Clear Wind Sword and held it in his hand as he walked toward the cave entrance.

But when he reached it, the deep darkness of the night had vanished, replaced by a blaze of light.

He immediately had an inkling of what it might be.

He hurried outside and saw a brilliant light in the direction of Qixia Mountain, shining across the heavens.

Looking closely, he saw what appeared to be a carriage made of rosy clouds, now shining with boundless radiance above Qixia Mountain.

Then a figure interwoven with five-colored smoke flew out from Purple Canopy Peak and went straight into the carriage.

The carriage then slowly began to move.

In only a moment, it appeared in the sky above the mountain where Su Yao stood.

It circled the mountaintop three times before heading north.

Seeing this, Su Yao sighed inwardly. Just as I thought. The Daoist Overseer has gone to the Jade Void Palace to listen to a lecture.

He performed a disciple's salute in the direction the carriage had gone.

High in the sky, the figure inside the carriage leaned out of the window and looked at Su Yao performing the disciple's salute below, then gave a soft chuckle.

"The fledgling phoenix's first cry already rings clear; the road ahead will reveal itself as he draws near."

With those words, the carriage curtain fell, and the carriage of rosy clouds became a streak of light and vanished into the northern horizon.